Highlighting issues being confronted by employees beneath Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), academicians and social activists on Tuesday alleged that the NDA authorities had unleashed a “trishul” (trident) assault on the agricultural job-guarantee scheme.
Addressing a briefing, Jean Drèze, visiting professor, Ranchi University, stated, “The NDA government has unleashed an unprecedented attack… The attack is taking the form of trishul… the first spike… is not new—it is underfunding. This year, the budgetary allocation for the NREGS is only Rs 60,000 crore which is the lowest ever in terms of percentage vis a vis India’s GDP,” he stated on the briefing attended by a number of MPs.
The second ‘trishul’ spike is obligatory imposition of the NMMS (National Mobile Monitoring System) app for marking attendance, stated Drèze, highlighting the difficulties being confronted by the NREGS employees.
He stated the third spike is obligatory imposition of Aadhaar-based funds from February 1, 2023, which, he stated, was very “complicated” to know.
Senior Congress chief Digvijaya Singh stated the federal government’s intent is to chop down the finances of NREGS and different such programmes. AAP MP Sanjay Singh stated “it is shocking that only an average of 34 days work is being provided against the guarantee of 100 days employment”. Singh stated a Jan Andolan needs to be undertaken to lift this concern.
Nikhil Dey, founder member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), additionally highlighted the issues being confronted by the NREGS employees throughout the nation. “This is a situation where 15 crore workers in the country are affected. The reason we are having this interaction with political parties is that it requires political response… People are sitting on a 100-day dharna…this requires a strong political response,” he stated.
Dey stated the MGNREGS is beneath critical assault.